Frank Miller Returns To ‘Dark Knight’ With ‘The Master Race’

Three decades after Frank Miller unleashed his classic The Dark Knight Returns, and 15 years after the sequel, a third volume is set to be released, bringing a conclusion to the Dark Knight saga.

DC Entertainment will release The Dark Knight III: The Master Race later this year, according to Wired, as an eight-issue-miniseries which will debut in late fall. Brian Azzarello will co-write the series with Miller, and while no artists have yet been revealed, the teaser image released in conjunction with the announcement implies that Superman will almost certainly be featured in the story.

Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, Co-Publishers for DC Entertainment, expressed their excitement at having Miller return to the world of Batman, pointing to the strength of the plotline he and Azzarello have written.

“The story he and Brian have crafted is an astounding and triumphant conclusion to this seminal body of work which influenced and shaped generations of readers and creators alike.”

As the Verge points out, the announcement of The Dark Knight III comes at a time when Miller’s importance to comic culture is seemingly on the rise. Though The Dark Knight Returns is widely considered to be one of the most influential graphic novels of all time, current and future DC properties seem to recently be taking cues from Miller’s work. The upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice clearly draws on the darker aesthetic Miller is famous for, as the Inquisitr has previously noted. The title of The Dark Knight III, however, has given pause to some fans, particularly those critical of Miller’s previous graphic novels.

Though no exact release date has yet been announced, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight III: The Master Race will be published bi-monthly under the DC Comics imprint.